Not Enough
by amor-remanet
Summary: Only once has Barty Crouch Junior ever been good enough for his father. Mild SLASH content, SeverusxBarty.


**February 21st, 1961:** He gets an emergency owl from Winky. It's a scrawled out message in her barely legible chicken-scratch and nerve-grating bad grammar, but the point still gets across: Demeter's in labor at Saint Mungo's and she wants him there. Even though it's his wife, who's having his son, this nonsense at work needs to be cleared up before he can get away, no matter what his underlings and superiors tell him. He doesn't leave for at least three hours…no, more, he soon finds. It's nearing eleven at night when he makes it to Saint Mungo's, but the Healers take him to her. The pain-soothing potions and some of the charms have her asleep, but there's an unmistakable glow on her cheeks; the baby's asleep in a bassinet…a son, with a mop of already untidy hair. He doesn't bother the child, only sticks a finger in to check the nametag on his wrist: Bartemius Crouch, Junior.

…She named the baby after him.

Smiling is a rare thing for him, but he can't help the crinkle that breaks out from his lips and spreads to his entire face.

**February 21st, 1975: **After years of working until all hours of the night, no one has taught him how to come home at a reasonable hour. Even still, he comes home to find Barty still up, in his mother's room, staring at her helplessly (she's only sleeping), with an uneaten sandwich sitting on a plate near him. Why she let him come home will probably never make sense. After all, when Bartemius sent him an owl saying that she'd fallen ill, he made it clear that she would be fine…and he still came home. It's probably just some stunt for his birthday. Damnable, it is. He's fourteen, and, speaking of owls, his are next year…he needs to be at school, not simpering over his mother.

Against his better judgment, Bartemius joins Barty in the room; the boy doesn't even notice…he's so preoccupied with his mother. Up close, it's hard to blame him. She's going to be fine – the Healer who made a house call said so – but she doesn't look good at all. Her skin is paler than normal (and his), her blonde hair looks listless (his too), and she's incredibly thin (…he takes after her more than he's aware; it verges on absurd). Bartemius coughs loudly. That gets his son's attention, but in the form of a startled jump, and, when he looks up, it's obvious from the wet cheeks and the red, puffy eyes that he's been crying. Ridiculous…

"_Father_…" he whispers, breathing heavily.

"Barty," he replies calmly. "How is she?"

"B-better, I th-think, it's…hard t-t-to say."

"Why is it so hard to say?"

"N-n-not a Healer n-now, am I?"

And he stutters. At least he doesn't bloody _lisp_. Still, Bartemius can't help himself as he leaves, and he hisses, "Nancy boy."

**June 21st, 1976: **Somehow, the boy managed to survive his OWLS, even came home confident about the outlook. As some kind of…treat, or something, for being a "good boy," Demeter let him have some friend over. Bartemius wasn't even aware that his son _had_ friends. An older boy comes home with The Boy, going into his seventh year while Barty goes into his sixth. He's taller than Barty, built the same way, and his long, black hair looks like he often shirks washing it in favor of reading. Severus Snape, or that's how he introduces himself. Name sounds familiar, though Bartemius can't put his finger on why and where he would have heard it; it's definitely not an old, pureblood name, that much is certain.

The two of them spend an inordinate amount of time with each other. Any time Bartemius is home to see, he sees them huddled together somewhere, whispering. Sometimes, Severus listens while Barty tells him something about the family home, and sometimes, Barty is the one to listen, giggling and blushing slightly at some suggestion whispered in his ear. Once, Bartemius sees the two of them with Demeter, and he's sure he hears her tell them to be careful. If he's anything, Bartemius Crouch is not stupid and, though he has no proof, he has his suspicions, and he hopes they're wrong.

**July 21st, 1978: **Barty's only been home for a month, and he's already leaving again. This time, Demeter cries and Bartemius has never had as much of an emotional investment in making his son leave.

The boy wants to blame _him_ of course, but it's his own damn fault for leaving those letters out where people could find them.

"_Don't worry about your father, Barty, he's just a ridiculous old fool_. _I wish I could help you_. _Come see me over Easter break, please; I can't tell you how much I miss you._"

"_You're not stupid, Barty, and your NEWTs won't be terrible, I promise_. _Your father only says that because he doesn't know you like I do_."

"_I miss you, Barty_. _And I love you_. _Maybe your bastard father doesn't, but I love you, and I'd do anything to help you_. _All you have to do is ask_."

And the lone one to the Snape boy, from Barty…it isn't finished, but the message is quite clear: "_Severus, when can I see you again_? _I'm in my father's house and it's driving me mad, I think he knows and I can't take not knowing whether he does or not_. _I hope he doesn't, and if he does, I don't know what will happen, or what we'll have to do_. _I need you, Severus, I_…"

So, his suspicions were right after all. And there's proof now, and he can hardly just let this stand.

Barty sighs and looks up from the doorway floor, smirking grimly.

"I guess this is good-bye, then," he scoffs, shaking his head and blinking something out of his eye.

"Barty," Demeter whimpers. "He's our son, please, don't-"

"Mother, it's fine, really."

"If you think I want to do this, you're sorely mistaken." He moves to look down at his son, then realizes that they're the same height. When did that happen?

"Then why are you doing it?"

"You can come home if you ever leave the Snape boy."

"Do you think I _asked_ for this?"

"No, but that shouldn't keep you from controlling it-"

"I can't help that he loves me, or that I…feel the same…and it's not as if-"

He closes the door on his own son. Amidst Demeter's sobs, he finds himself facing a blunt truth: he doesn't care.

**February 21st, 1981: **He's been back from Azkaban for two months, and, finally, Winky has him strong enough to leave his bed. Despite what he wants, Bartemius keeps him under an Invisibility Cloak at all times. Maybe no one visits anymore, but people still walk by the house, and he's supposed to be dead, and not metaphorically. But it's nearing midnight, so he figures it's safe. He has to see for this part; he has to know for certain. Sighing heavily, the long day at work exits out his mouth and he leans on the kitchen counter for support, feels Winky's hands tugging supportively on his robes.

"He's here, right, Winky?"

Barty's head comes out of nothing across from him. "You don't have to ask her, you know," he huffs. "She's got me bound to her, remember?"

"She's ridiculously sympathetic to you for reasons I can't fathom. I have to make sure."

"Master, Winky is feeling bad for him, yes, but Winky is not breaking her Vows, Winky is being a good girl! And he is being a good boy, Master, very good!"

"…Thank you, Winky, but I think I'll be the judge of that. Barty, your arm, if you would."

"…Excuse me?"

"Your _arm_, Barty. The right one."

Barty sighs and his arm joins his head; he leaves the sleeve of his robes pulled down and the arm is turned the wrong way. With an unusual amount of care, Bartemius grabs his son's hand, turns the arm over, and shoves up the sleeve. There it is: proof. The worst kind of proof, and it's staring him dead-on. The Dark Mark, black against the sun-starved, colorless skin of his son's inner arm. Just the sight of it makes a lead weight out of his stomach, and bile rises at the remembrance of his deathbed promise to Demeter: she would die for Barty to live, and he would take the boy back as his son. He can't undo it now, but looking up into Barty's crazed, harlequin grin, he so desperately wants to.

"You _really_ wanted to believe that I never meant any of it, didn't you?"

"…Why? How could you do this to your mother and I?"

"Never good enough for you, was I? Always…grades aren't good enough, no talent at Quidditch, wastes too much time doing things for me…but _they_ didn't care."

"Who?"

"Sev and the Dark Lord."

"Oh no…_this_ again…"

"Sev took me in when you chucked me out, you know. He loved me. On a regular basis, even. And then the Dark Lord…he doesn't care who you are, as long as you're faithful. Do what he says, and he _loves_ you. Well, maybe not love, but you get my point."

"…This isn't true…"

"Oh, but it is, _father_. One loved me; the other accepted me. They believed in me like _you_ never did."

He has his wand pointed at the boy before he can stop himself, and suddenly, the boy's eyes – his wife's eyes – go unfocused and his face goes blank. The only sound in the scene is Winky's sobbing and the "_Imperio_" that lingers in the air.


End file.
